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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24967921">Lucky One • nomin</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/porcelainbae/pseuds/porcelainbae'>porcelainbae</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>to love you forever [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aged Up NCT Dream, Alternate Universe, Fluff, Happy Ending, Jaemin is in love, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Minor Huang Ren Jun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, Short &amp; Sweet, jeno is in love too</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 11:15:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,263</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24967921</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/porcelainbae/pseuds/porcelainbae</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After years of working in the same jewelry, Jaemin learned to sort the customers into different groups.<br/>Jeno is the perfect example of one of them, the group with the worst luck of all.</p><p>Good thing Jaemin is willing to change it.</p><p>jewelry consultant!jaemin</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>to love you forever [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1807144</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>128</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Lucky One • nomin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Welcome to the first part of the Proposal Series I just started!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Jaemin likes his job. It’s not exactly what he expected to be doing after four years of studying business administration, but it’s fun, easy to do and the payment is actually good, so yes, he could say he really enjoys being a jewelry consultant.</p><p>He works in the fanciest jewelry store of the city: Dream, ever since he graduated. Long story short, he realized he needed some professional experience to apply to other jobs –those he was aiming for– and decided to try his luck, later finding himself too comfortable to leave. And that’s how, three years after, he’s still working at the same place, now being the supervisor of the Customer Service Department. </p><p>During those three years of hard work Jaemin learned to deal with a vast variety of people. Rich people could be categorized into any of the following three groups: the eccentric and extravagant customers, the arrogant and despicable customers and finally, the hopeless romantic customers. To a greater or lesser extent, all of the customers that cross the glass door fit in one of those categories, and it was easy to sort them out. </p><p><em> For example </em>, he points in his mind, that brown-haired guy that just came into the shop is, without doubt, a helpless romantic that probably will spend more money than he actually has in a ring his fiancé will use for a few months. Then, after the wedding, she will lose it and that’s the end of the story. He would not mind since they’re both married so she can use the gold ring instead of the other one. </p><p>Thousands of dollars thrown in the trash.</p><p>He sees the boy approaching his section so he prepares the best smile he has, that one he’s been practicing for over three years and still counting. </p><p>“Good afternoon, sir.” He greets, his perfect white teeth showing in that blinding smile of his. “Welcome to Dream Jewelry, what can I help you with today?”</p><p>“Oh, hello.” The other responds, eyes just landing on him for a brief second before going back to the rings on display. “I am looking for a ring.” He answers and Jaemin wants to throw him away from the big window they have. </p><p><em> Of course you are looking for a ring. It’s not like I’m blind not to see you checking them out, </em>he wants to snap and he really needs a lot of self control to not roll his eyes in annoyance.</p><p>“Sure!” Jaemin replies seconds later, his smile still intact. “Do you have any model in mind? I can show you our newest collection, it’s the favorite collection of our customers so far.” </p><p>“A-Actually I do have something in mind.” The guy says, his voice sounding a little bit embarrassed, but it is actually his crimson cheeks that make Jaemin notice it. “My girlfriend” he starts again and Jaemin swears he can <em> feel </em> the love on his tone, “she always liked the Moonsun model from your collection of 2017.” </p><p>Jaemin blinks perplexed at the oddly specific taste the girl seems to have. The collection the guy mentioned not only was one of their bestseller, it also is –up until now– the most expensive one they ever released, to the extent only the most richest people could afford it.</p><p>
  <em> He is totally a hopeless romantic. </em>
</p><p>“I-I believe we still have the model in stock.” He knows they do but he finds himself wishing the boy could choose something not as expensive as the ring in question. “I’ll go look for it, in the meantime you can check our other options. They’re all as good as the Moonsun model.” Jaemin says, his finger pointing out to the small freestanding counter fixed in the middle of the store, receiving a small smile and a nod as a response.</p><p>
  <em> Just let the man buy the damn ring. </em>
</p><p>Jaemin’s head is a mess while he walks out to the back of the store. He doesn’t really need to go there to find the ring but rather to calm those constant thoughts ringing inside him. It’s not the first time he had such a silly in love like him but it’s the first time his heart hurts at the mere thought of a guy with love sparkling eyes.</p><p>While he makes his wait out of the back of the store, with the customer service smile on his face, he hopes this guy to be one of the few who are lucky enough to have a successful love life. </p><p>He finds the brown-haired man roaming through the glass counters, his eyes barely stopping into the pieces while he waits for Jaemin to come back. The blonde consultant holds back the need to swift his smile into a genuine one. </p><p>
  <em> Why would he want to do it, though?  </em>
</p><p>He shakes his head and goes straight back to his station. Jaemin waits there for the other to notice him, taking just a few minutes to have him standing again in front of him.</p><p>“Did you find anything you liked, sir?”</p><p>“Lee Jeno.”The customer corrects, shaking his head in a negative response.</p><p>“Excuse me?”</p><p>“Just call me Jeno, the ‘sir’ makes me feel more nervous.” He adds, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.</p><p>“Sure, Jeno.” Jaemin is quick to flash him a small genuine smirk before getting back to business. “Would you mind tell me more about your girlfriend?” </p><p>They would usually ask about their customers partners in order to help those with no clue on what to get for them. In this case, Jaemin complies only because of his own curiosity.</p><p>He notices the gleam in his eyes and the subtle flush on his cheeks; <em> god, this Jeno guy is really in love.  </em></p><p>“We met in high school. She was, <em> of course, </em> one of the prettiest and more popular girls in our school while I was just the normal kid. I still don’t know how she laid her eyes on me but she did. Actually she was the one to start courting me back in our senior year.” Jaemin feels a slight embarrassment while he talks, he finds it cute. “She is perfect. And I promise, I’m not the kind of person who would ignore her flaws, she <em> is </em> perfect. She is selfless, loves to help other people out; she’s caring, a loving girlfriend. We have a lot in common and yet we never get tired of being together.” Jaemin needs to suppress the need to coo, simply nodding his head while he takes out the ring the guy came asking for. “She’s <em> that perfect </em>that sometimes I feel I don’t deserve her.” </p><p>That’s it. A red flag for Jaemin, who rapidly snaps his head up. </p><p>Jeno seems to notice the change in his demeanor that he takes less to move his hands while a embarrassed chuckle escapes from his lips. “It’s not what you think.” He says, putting on a smile Jaemin knows could heal the world. “I know she loves me and she knows I love her, it’s just something in my mind that pops out every now and then.”</p><p>It’s Jaemin time to nod, sliding the ring across the glass for Jeno to take a better look of it. </p><p>“And that’s what you look so nervous over the ring thing?” The blonde has never been too familiar with his clients, and yet there he is, asking him things he’s not supposed to, but to be fair Jeno seems okay with it, shrugging before replying with a hum. “You don’t really need to be nervous. If she loves you she’ll love whatever you decide to choose for her, even if it is <em> not </em> one of the most expensive items we have.”</p><p>Jeno doesn’t seems to mind Jaemin attempts to make him dismiss the idea of purchasing that model, instead he just laughs, his fingers barely touching the ring that stills lays over the counter. </p><p>“I know she would be fine with any kind of ring, even those plastic ones with a candy on.” Both of them smile. “But she deserves so much more, and if I can afford it, <em> because I can, you don’t need to worry, </em>then I will do it.”</p><p>Jaemin looks away, pursing his lips barely enough to pout, feeling slightly embarrassed by the fact that Jeno <em> knew </em>what he was trying to do.</p><p>“But I’m actually grateful you tried.” Jeno adds with a smile Jaemin knows could heal him. “I know you must’ve deal with of a lot of people who need to hear that. Thank you,...”</p><p>“Jaemin.”</p><p>The boy smiles, giving the ring back to him.</p><p>“Thank you, Jaemin.”</p><p>Jaemin decides it's time to stop prying so he simply follows the guidelines to finish the purchase for Jeno. </p><p>After fifteen minutes and some little smiles shared between them, Jaemin finally hands him the small paper bag with golden lines on it, drawing the name of the shop in such a fancy way. </p><p>“Congrats on your engagement, Jeno.” </p><p>The brown-haired boy gives him that particular smile where his eyes turn into crescents, making Jaemin’s heart to beat a little bit faster.</p><p>“Thank you, Jaemin.”</p><p>And he walks away from the store, with both a new ring for his soon-to-be-fiancé and Jaemin’s heart in his hands. </p><p> </p><p>≈</p><p> </p><p>It’s one of those days where the there’s barely any customer there. So slow it makes all of the most consultants to walk around to chat with their friends, others simply hiding in the back of the store to use their phones. </p><p>Jaemin doesn’t seem to mind, if there’s no clients to help he find no reason to bother the others to stay in character. </p><p>“I think Donghyuck will propose to me.” Renjun, one of Jaemin’s favorite coworkers and friends whispers loud enough for him to hear. “He’s been pretty suspicious lately, he even took one of my rings and thought I wouldn’t notice.” Even if the tone of his voice seems annoyed, Jaemin just needs to take a look to his eyes to find that excitement sparkle in them. </p><p>“I thought you wanted to be the one proposing, though.</p><p>“I do. It’s just…” the shorter boy hesitates “I can’t believe he is thinking about the same exact thing.”</p><p>Jaemin wants to laugh but holds him the best he can, biting the side of his lower lip.</p><p>Renjun may look like the kind of person who would totally hate sappy stuff but only a few people know how soft and romantic he can be. Jaemin knows the idea of finding out Donghyuck is also thinking of marriage makes his heart, the big and loving one Renjun tries his best to disguise as a cold one, beat really fast. </p><p>He is, actually, kind of jealous of the relationship they have. It might not be perfect, Jaemin <em> knows it </em> because he has been there for both of them the countless times they would fight over small things and some other really important issues. He experienced their relationship first hand, so he believes he can attest to their true love. </p><p>But he is jealous not because of them sharing a special bond between them, but rather the fact they get to experience it their own flesh while Jaemin can just only dream of it. </p><p>“It’s a sign of the universe that both of you are meant to be.” Jaemin answers, caressing his friend’s hand. </p><p>Before Renjun can say something, the big glass doors open just to show a brown-haired boy Jaemin remembers too well.</p><p>He walks straight to Jaemin, with his eyes locked in his own steps, but the blonde consultant has dreamt of him enough to still recognize him. </p><p>With a soft pat on his shoulder, Renjun understands Jaemin’s wish to be left alone with that guy. </p><p>He doesn’t miss the opportunity to raise an eyebrow and throw a suspicious glance towards the other before walking away.</p><p>“Hello, mysterious sir.” He jokes, placing his elbows on the glass, lowering his face to look at Jeno’s. Soon a frown appears on his own face, his hands wasting no time to take the other’s chin to lift it up enough for Jaemin to notice sadness in his eyes.</p><p>There is no sign of the marvelous sparkle he used to have the last time he saw the man, almost three months ago. “Jeno, hey, what happened?” He asks softly, just getting a head shake in response.</p><p>Silence settles between them, under the curious gaze of the other consultants. Jaemin lifts his eyes to find Renjun a few meters away, not flinching when he finds him looking straight towards them.</p><p>He signs him to come closer, giving Jeno a last caress on his cheek before walking just a few steps away from him.</p><p>“I’ll leave early. Do you think you can handle it?” Jaemin asks, hurry showing up in his voice. </p><p>Renjun simply nods. “Do you know him?” He ask, always straightforward to the point, his head pointing towards the boy that is still standing in front of Jaemin’s station. </p><p>“Kinda.”</p><p>The blonde consultant smiles weakly and hurries back to the standing man. Renjun can only see the way Jaemin gently cups his face and how he whispers something into the guy’s ear, earning a nod. He takes off his name tag and runs to the back just to grab his coat before walking out with the stranger’s hand intertwined with his. </p><p>
  <em> What are you getting into, Jaem? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“She cheated on me.” </p><p>Jaemin needs a lot of strength not to curse at that very moment. </p><p>He dragged Jeno to his favorite coffee shop in the area, which was conveniently empty to let both boys chose freely one of the most hidden tables they had. </p><p>It’s Jaemin who orders for them, with Jeno barely saying or doing anything. </p><p>Minutes later, with two cups of hot chocolate in front of them and a slice of Jaemin’s favorite cake, Jeno finally dares to speak. Of course, Jaemin didn’t expected the reason behind his silent behavior to be… <em> that. </em></p><p>“Oh, Jeno…” Jaemin doesn’t know what to say so he just waits in silence. Soon enough he finds it was the best he could do.</p><p>“I don’t know where I went wrong. After I bought the ring I proposed to her and she said yes. We just started to plan our wedding, I wanted to give her the whole world ‘cause she deserved it.” His voice breaks. Jaemin just takes his hand again, his thumbs drawing circles on top of it. “About a month ago she had to leave to do some volunteering, she always does it. </p><p>She got pregnant. I believe it happened during that trip she made.”</p><p>Jaemin’s left speechless. For a whole minute none of them dared to talk, until curiosity worked its way out from Jaemin’s mouth.</p><p>“How-how did you find out she is...” </p><p>Jeno sighs, his lips pressed on a thin line. “She told me she is pregnant. I guess she expected me to believe it’s mine but…”</p><p>“But..?”</p><p>“The last time we were <em> together </em> was the night of our engagement party, almost three months ago, but when she received the results of her blood test, it concluded she is five weeks pregnant.”</p><p>It is Jaemin’s turn to sigh. </p><p>
  <em> Why does it always have to end like this?  </em>
</p><p>When he met the guy he hoped his love life to be successful, to actually marry <em> the one, </em> but it ended up being just like most of the stories he gets to learn from his clients. </p><p>He wanted Jeno’s eyes to always have that gleam, that special gleam. He wanted him to live the <em> happily ever after </em> that just a few would live. He wished for a lot of good things for Jeno <em> and yet </em>… and yet he has the guy sitting across him with the head hanging low and his body shaking from his attempts to hold back his tears.</p><p>So Jaemin does the only thing he knows makes people feel better. He stands up and walks until his next to the man. Slowly he bends his knees, reaching for him to embrace him in a tight hug. He pays no attention to the sore thighs for holding that position for so nor the wetness Jeno’s tears leave on his shirt. He just hugs the man, his fingers running through his hair until the trembling body stops and he can no longer listen to his sobs. But even then he doesn’t let go of him and Jeno doesn’t try to draw away either.</p><p>They just stay like this until Jaemin can’t hold it anymore and bends on his knees, his hands slowly taking the other’s to keep the comforting touch.</p><p>“You did nothing wrong, Jeno.” Jaemin softly says. “It’s not your fault she cheated on you, is not your fault she’s not as perfect as she showed you she was, so don’t blame yourself when you have nothing to do with it.”</p><p>“But Jaem–”</p><p>“No.” Jaemin cuts, frowning a little and letting his lips form a pout to which Jeno almost coos. “You, Lee Jeno, are the sweetest guy I’ve ever met, and if someone <em> ever </em> deserves the world, that’s just you. It’s okay to feel sad, to get mad, to do whatever you need to do, but never, <em> and I’ll repeat it if you need me to, never </em>, dare to blame yourself for something you had no control over.</p><p>She’s the one losing the most amazing person in the world, not you.”</p><p>Even if his cheeks are crimson red, Jeno’s eyes sparkle with gratitude towards that boy he barely knew. </p><p>“So I guess you want to return the ring, right?”</p><p>Jeno nods, feeling embarrassed again. “Yeah, I didn’t expect to break down like that in front of the cute consultant that helped me the last time.”</p><p>Jaemin grins and walks back to his sit. He takes a sip of the now cold chocolate before chuckling softly.</p><p>“Well,” he says, pushing the cake towards Jeno for him to take a bite. “The cute consultant will see what he can do to help you with it, so come back to the store tomorrow maybe?”</p><p>Jeno doesn’t know if the warmth running through his body is because of the great and unique taste of the cake Jaemin ordered for them or if it’s because of the pretty smile that shines on Jaemin’s pretty lips, but he still nods. </p><p>If Jaemin is there to help him nothing can go wrong.</p><p> </p><p>≈</p><p> </p><p>It’s pretty slow to be one of their busiest seasons but Jaemin doesn’t complain about it. </p><p>Lately it has been really hard to deal with all of the customers, most of them fitting right into Jaemin’s second group of sorting. Seems like all the mean people just decided to buy all together, making the young male to deal with upset-over-nothing customers that would always try to scare him with their will to complain to the manager. </p><p>Good thing Kun also knew how crazy annoying those people could be.</p><p>So yes, he’s actually enjoying a little peace and silence after two weeks of hard work. </p><p>He’s resting with his eyes focused on the different models of jewelry they have on display when the big glass door opens to let a new client walk through it. </p><p>His blonde and undercut hair along with those expensive clothes he’s one are enough for Jaemin to believe he’s part of the first group, <em> the eccentric and extravagant ones, </em> but he just <em> knows </em> he fits better into the hopeless romantics. </p><p>The man waste no time and reaches him with a smirk on his lips, making the consultant to raise an eyebrow.</p><p>“Good afternoon, sir.” He quickly wears the smile he needs for his job, <em> but if you ask Renjun, who is right across him, his smile seems to show more than just politeness. </em>“Welcome to Dream Jewelry, what can I help you with today?</p><p>“I need an engagement ring.” The man answers with no rush. </p><p>“Sure! Do you have any model in mind?” The blonde customer shakes his head. “Would you like me to show you some of our newest models, sir?”</p><p>“Yeah.” He says, brushing his fingers through his hair. “That would be helpful.”</p><p>Jaemin nods, biting the end of his lips while he turns around to look for the collection.</p><p>“It would be better if you tell me more about your partner, sir, so we can find the perfect ring for them.”</p><p>The consultant hears the man chuckle and his cheeks turn bright red.</p><p>
  <em> Get yourself together, Na Jaemin. </em>
</p><p>“Well, he is the best thing that could ever happen to me.” Jaemin nods, still facing the shelves. “When I first met him he helped me with something I had going on, and from that very first moment I knew he was special. Months later I found him again, actually I went to look for him and he helped me once again. He always has that pretty smile that makes my heart beat so fast, and even if he tries to pretend he’s not, he’s the most caring and loving man that ever existed. He’s a great friend, has a really big heart and he taught me to deal with the bad things that happen always with a smile on.” The consultant takes a few second to turn back around and the first thing he notice is that beautiful gleam in the man’s eyes. “He cooks so well and doesn’t mind waking in the middle of the night if I ever ask for food. He is hardworking but still knows how to have fun, and when we started dating he wouldn’t even let me gift him things because he doesn’t like to know I’m spending my money on him. He’s one of a kind if you ask me.”</p><p>“So that means your budget is quite little today, sir? </p><p>But the man shakes his head again. “I don’t care about the budget, for once I want to spend as much as I can on him since he deserves it. He taught me what love really is, y’know, so there’s no way I’ll hold back with the ring I’m asking him for a life together.”</p><p>Jaemin feels the tears slowly filling his eyes and has to dry them with the rear of his hand. He takes a deep breath before smiling again, <em> that guy is surely the most lucky one, he really loves him. </em>Because he knows how to tell when something is real, filled with honesty and when something is just mere words that are supposed to only sound good.</p><p>“I actually want you to chose the one you like the best.”</p><p>Jaemin opens his eyes and stutters an excuse, not really getting into it since the man’s eyes still shows <em> that </em> spark.</p><p>He finds himself walking straight to the shelf near the corner. The collection there is not the most expensive but yet each one of the designs hold a wish, <em> a good wish </em>, for any couple that purchase it. It’s not one of their best sellers either because of the big promise each one of its pieces hold, so big it scares those who only look for something to show off rather than actually showing love. </p><p>He picks a rose gold tapered ring with a marquise four-prong moissanite, the exact same ring he dreamt to wear ever since he first saw it. With his heart beating fast, he walks back to his place.</p><p>“The moissanite is actually a rare mineral that naturally occurs in meteorites, it’s one of the strongest gemstones available so it means a strong, unbreakable love for you both. Since it comes from out of our world, it means a love meant to be by the universe, fate or god and is related to our inner child, our <em> innocence </em>. This gemstone along with the pink hue holds a promise of a love that was written for both parts, a love so strong that will endure everything and a love so pure it will only bring happiness to you both.” Jaemin places the ring on the glass counter, a small smile appearing in his face after the short explanation he gave.</p><p>“I know your partner will love this.”</p><p>“Thank you, I wanna be optimistic and think he’ll say yes.”</p><p>“I think he will, sir.” </p><p>The customer smiles, taking the ring they both choose between his fingers just to look it up better up close.</p><p>“Do you really think so?” </p><p>“Yes.” Jaemin chuckles, his cheeks feeling instantly hot and his eyes close to cry but not really minding it now. “I do, Jeno.”</p><p>Jeno’s eyes sparkle just like they did the first time Jaemin saw him. The blonde proceeding to slide the ring down Jaemin’s ring finger before taking his hand on his to press a soft kiss on it. </p><p>Who would’ve thought that a year after Jaemin dried his tears the night Jeno told him about his girlfriend cheating on him, after a year of constantly being with each other, a year filled with a growing love that born from a friendship, they would meet the same way they did the first time.</p><p><em> But now, </em> Jaemin thinks as he grabs Jeno by his collar to get closer to him, <em> he will make Jeno happy.  </em></p><p>Jaemin will make sure Jeno finally has the love the boy deserves, and he’s willing to do anything he can to make it happen.</p><p>“Can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” Jaemin whispers against his lips, kissing the man he loves and knows he loves him back.</p><p>“I love you.”</p><p>“I love you too.”</p><p><br/>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A lot of fluff and so much love because I’m in the mood, haha! </p><p>I hope you guys like it, thank you for reading this! Your comments and kudos are highly appreciated.</p><p>
  <a href="https://twitter.com/jaenanam"> twitter </a>
  <br/>
  <a href="https://curiouscat.me/jaenanam"> curiouscat </a>
</p></blockquote></div></div>
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